Importance of stretching

When it comes to the fitness world a lot of people overlook the importance of stretching. For me, I have always struggled with stretching. Whether it be before my basketball practices/games or going to the gym to work out. It is always something I overlooked because it was almost an annoyance for me. I honestly hated it so much that when it came time to actually start stretching before or after my games I would rush through them just so it would be done with. I paid for not stretching though… I was always pulling my hamstring or groin all the time. Those injuries could have been prevented by simply stretching those parts of my body. This is something I majorly regret because I was out for 2 months due to a severely pulled groin muscle from basketball. I needed this experience to open my eyes to see the importance of stretching how a lot of injuries can be prevented.

I just wanted to give you guys some quick tips on why you should implement stretching into your daily activities. For one, study’s have shown that stretching decreases stress. This is very important because a lot of times we are overwhelmed with different things but if we can take 10-15 minutes out of our day and focus on our breathing while we stretch it is shown to decrease stress. Another benefit of stretching is that it reduces pain and stiffness. I know a lot of times after our workouts we are already sore and we can feel our body start to lock up but it is important that we take some time before and after to stretch the muscles that we feel need it the most. 

One of the biggest things I have always wanted to know is how to minimize the wear and tear on my joints. Being a college basketball player and constantly moving, I always wanted to find ways to help my body. One thing that I noticed is that a lot of times if one of my muscles are being overworked it is because of a particular injury which can be compensated by stretching. That is something that I did not realize until later in my career that I wish I learned sooner. Most importantly it improves the range of motion on certain muscles. Some things you can do for this is to use a foam roll which is designed to work out your knots in your muscles. 

Any questions or concerns you may have, feel free to contact me 

Coach Q